After 13 seasons at the helm of the Penn State football program, James Franklin was let go following a disappointing 3-3 start to a season that began with championship aspirations.
Just six days after his dismissal, Franklin appeared on ESPN’s College GameDay to discuss his recent firing and what’s next for the head coach as he eyes a new landing spot to continue his coaching career. While the decision from Penn State brass came as a shock to Franklin, he reflected on all of the positive moments he had in Happy Valley.
“I want to focus on all the unbelievable moments. I had a great run there, 12 years. Penn State was good to me and my family,” Franklin said. “Most importantly, it's about the players. I'm a players' coach. I always have been. So that's the hardest part, walking away from all those young men in that locker room, the recruits that were committed to us, a lot of tough conversations. So that's the challenge. It's the people at the end of the day, the coaches, the staff, their families and the kids.”
Franklin’s dismissal came on the heels of a stunning 22-21 home loss to Northwestern, Penn State's third consecutive defeat, with the coach learning of his firing just 15 minutes before a Sunday team meeting to break down the loss and move on to their next contest at Iowa.
“We were a practice Sunday team, and we have a team meeting at 1:45. At about 1:30, the AD walked in and said, ‘We're going to make a change. I'm sorry,’ Franklin said. “I was in shock, obviously. I took the next 15 minutes to let my kids know so they wouldn't find out on the internet. And then walked down and had a super emotional meeting with the team to tell them I was leaving. That was it. It was that quick.”
It’s been a rocky road for Penn State across the program’s last seven games. The Nittany Lions saw a promising College Football Playoff run come to a heartbreaking end in a 27-24 loss to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, with a trip to play Ohio State in the CFP National Championship on the line, last season.
Penn State entered the 2025 season with high expectations, obtaining the Preseason AP No. 1 ranking, ahead of the defending national champion Buckeyes. The Nittany Lions took care of business against three underwhelming non-conference opponents before a devastating double-overtime loss to Oregon in their famed White Out game. The wheels entirely fell off in the weeks following the defeat to the Ducks, with Penn State falling to previously winless UCLA and ailing Northwestern to fall to 3-3.
That early-season collapse, combined with Franklin’s underwhelming 4-21 mark against AP Top 10 opponents in his time at Penn State, ultimately led to his dismissal.
“To think, essentially six games ago, we were fighting for a chance to be in the national championship, a two-minute drive away,” Franklin said. “Twelve years, a ton of good moments, a bunch of big wins, but decisions were made. And I'm not involved in those decisions. I'm very, very grateful for the time I had, and most importantly, for the relationships I was able to build. I thought we were going to win a national championship there. We were close.”
While Franklin remained respectful to the Penn State administration’s decision throughout the interview, former Alabama head coach and seven-time national champion Nick Saban came to his defense.
“You made the statement that it's not up to you to decide what's fair or unfair when it comes to that question. I'm going to answer it,” Saban said. “It's unfair as hell for you to go to the Rose Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, get into the Final Four, and come out being ranked number one this year. An expectation that you created by what you accomplished at Penn State. And for those people not to show enough appreciation for that and gratitude for all the hard work that you did, I'm saying it's unfair.”
While Franklin eyes his next move in the ever-changing world of college football, he remains committed to his ultimate goal — winning a national championship at the helm of a program.
“I've been doing this for 30 years. I don't have hobbies. I don't golf. I don't fish. This has been such a big part of my identity, such a big part of my family,” Franklin said. “We've got to get back to doing what we do, which is help young people achieve their dreams, get a great education, still balance what college football has become, the student-athlete experience, and big-time business. But there's a way to do that, and I can't wait for that next challenge. And we're going to go win a national championship at the highest level.”
